When the saints march
The army saints, for the most part, were initially engaged in military affairs.
And they fought at a time when healing from wounds already seemed like a miracle. After all, the situation with medicine in the old days was very bad. Ignatius of Loyola, before becoming a Jesuit, served as an officer in the Spanish army, Mauritius was the leader of the Theban Legion, the French king Louis IX was a knight who led the seventh and eighth Crusades, Martin of Tours was a Roman officer, Sebastian of Rome (the same one who was shot with bows) ) - also an officer.
There is, however, the opposite situation: first Christianity, and only then the sword. As was the case with Joan of Arc, now the patron of military personnel in France and the United States.
Various snake fighters are also considered defenders of the military: St. George the Victorious, Theodore Stratelates, Theodore Tyrone (the extermination of various large-sized reptiles, apparently, was a common pastime for future saints).
However, there are exceptions. Varvara the Great Martyr, for example, had nothing to do with military affairs at all. But when she was beheaded by a pagan priest for being too enthusiastic about Christianity, he was immediately struck down by lightning falling from heaven. Coincidence? Don't think.
Since then, Varvara has been considered the patroness of artillery, missile forces, as well as firefighters and miners.
Great Martyr George the Victorious: patron saint of the Armed Forces and ground forces
George was born into a wealthy and pious family in Beirut. He entered military service, standing out among other warriors with his brilliant mind, courage and strength. Pretty soon he rose to the top and became the favorite of Emperor Diocletian himself. The ruler remained in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of the Christian faith: he wanted to revive paganism in Rome.
George was imbued with compassion for the persecuted and exterminated Christians, knowing full well that torment and suffering awaited him too. He distributed all his property, gave free rein to his slaves, and directly communicated his faith in Christ to the emperor, and even accused him of injustice and cruelty. Diocletian tried to persuade George to renounce the Lord, but, seeing his resistance, he ordered his former favorite to be tortured. George bravely endured suffering, continuing to glorify the name of God. As a result, the saint's head was cut off in 303.
The iconographic image of St. George is a warrior sitting on a white horse and slaying a snake with a spear. This plot did not arise by chance: it refers to the posthumous miracles of the great martyr. Legend has it that in a lake near Beirut there lived a snake that ate the locals. Perhaps it was a boa constrictor or a crocodile. One day, the daughter of the city ruler was sacrificed to a monster. Suddenly a young man appeared, enveloped in light, who pierced the terrible serpent with a spear - and the girl was saved. With his miraculous appearance on horseback, Saint George converted many pagans to Christianity.
A broader interpretation of the image of St. George the Victorious on horseback is the victory over Satan, the “Ancient Serpent” (Rev. 12:3). It is this image that can be seen on the ancient coat of arms of the capital of Russia.
There are no atheists in trenches under fire
In Orthodoxy in post-Soviet times, it has become fashionable to distribute saints by branch of the military. The airborne troops chose Elijah the Prophet (this is understandable: among the miracles associated with the saint are riding through the heavens in a fiery chariot, controlling thunder, lightning and rain - and, apparently, fountains too).
Another Ilya - Muromets (Pechersky) - patronizes the border troops. Again, it is quite logical: the hero of Russian legends and epics, judging by oral sources, always stood guard over Russian borders. Long-range aviation pilots also consider him their patron. In 1913, Igor Sikorsky named his four-engine aircraft after Ilya Muromets, which became the first mass-produced multi-engine bomber in the world - and it has been the case since then.
Dimitry Donskoy is in charge of the tank forces. Despite the fact that the prince was canonized relatively recently - in 1988 - a tank column built with church funds in 1944 bore his name. T-34-85 tanks were transferred to the 38th separate tank regiment, and OT-34 tanks were transferred to the 516th separate flamethrower regiment.
Transfer of the Dimitri Donskoy tank column to the Red Army on March 7, 1944
Before the end of the war, the column managed to pretty much beat up Hitler's troops. She has 17 armored personnel carriers, 38 enemy panzers, 40 guns and more than 1,400 enemy soldiers.
The special forces of the Russian Federation are patronized by Alexander Nevsky. He is also the official saint of the Russian Marine Corps.
And Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (who was canonized quite recently, in 2001) was taken over by the Navy. True, the domestic carrier-based aviation has special hopes for the righteous military leader.
Interestingly, one of the churches named after this Orthodox warrior is located in Crimea, in the village of Novofedorovka, next to “Nitka” - a training ground where planes practice taking off and landing from a ship.
Patron saints of warriors - who should we pray for the military?
Prayer to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, intercession and mercy. It can be read before military battles.In the hand of Your great mercy, O my God, I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and words, my advice and thoughts, my deeds and all my movements of body and soul. My entry and exit, my faith and life, the course and end of my life, the day and hour of my breathing, my repose, the repose of my soul and body. But You, O Most Merciful God, invincible with the sins of the whole world, kindly Lord, accept me, more than all sinners, in the hand of Your protection and deliver me from all evil, cleanse my many iniquities, grant correction to my evil and wretched life and from those to come. Always admire me for my cruel falls, and never when I anger Your love for mankind, cover my weakness from demons, passions and evil people. Forbid the enemy, visible and invisible, guiding me along the saved path, bring me to You, my refuge and the land of my desires. Grant me a Christian end, unashamed, peaceful, keep me from the airy spirits of malice, at Thy terrible judgment be merciful to Thy servant and number me at the right hand of Thy blessed sheep, and with them I may glorify Thee, my Creator, forever. Amen.
Daily military prayer for soldiers of any branch of the military serving in the army
Great and merciful God! I am not the imam of any other help, I am not the imam of any other consolation, except for You, Master. I fall before Your Majesty, humbly beseeching Your immeasurable goodness: look upon me, Your unworthy servant, struggling in military labor, and lower Your hand to help me. I owe this and I want to walk worthy of my honorable title, and in the need and situation of my Fatherland, I will stand for its righteousness until my last breath, as I promised to You on the day of my oath. Otherwise, without Your will, a person is nothing. For this reason, to You, the Creator, I stretch out my hands and ask You: enlighten my mind, so that I can quickly accept and hastily learn the military teachings taught to us, fill my heart with patience and love for those who have mercy on me and those who vex me, direct my desire to faithful service To my Fatherland and its laws, as it is proper and proper for a Christ-loving warrior to eat. Drive away evil thoughts from me, turn away all sickness and sorrow and sighing. Grant me, Lord, firm standing in the Holy Orthodox Faith of my fathers and every day the memory of the prayerful blessing of my mother. Preserve our Fatherland, O Lord, in peace and unanimity, grant to Thy Holy Church prosperity and prosperity in the Faith. Grant wisdom and strength to our government and military leaders, put goodness about Your people into their hearts, show our valiant army to our enemies victoriously, protect the weak, and grant to all Your people what they need for temporary and eternal life. Keep my parents, brothers, sisters, wife, children and all the neighbors of my family in health and long life. Deliver me from all sorrow and need, grant them an abundance of earthly fruits and be their Helper in all good endeavors. Return to them and me safely in your time, so that, rejoicing in Your mercy, we may always bless Your All-Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Official and civilian
The police also have their patrons. In Catholicism, the cops are helped by Archangel Michael and Severus, the Bishop of Ravenna, as well as the already mentioned Sebastian of Rome. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs elected Prince Vladimir the Baptist as its assistant.
According to the leadership of the department, the prince’s actions “are close to the purpose of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and are in tune with the service and combat tasks assigned to them by federal law.”
Hadrian of Nicomedia is considered the patron saint of arms dealers (and prison guards). True, this is only for Catholics. In Orthodoxy, he is revered as the guardian of marriage.
"Falconry on the Don". Painting by D. Shmarin
Fishermen and hunters have their own mercy. The first to be expected are the apostles Andrew and Peter, and for the hunters there is Tryphon the Falconer. What is especially valuable is that St. Tryphon’s Day falls on February 14 - so there is every chance to turn the slobbering “Valentines Day” with tired hearts, chocolates and rag bears into a normal men’s holiday.
By the way, even firearms owners have an unofficial patron. Gabriele dell'Addolorata (born Francesco Possenti, canonized in 1920) lived in Italy in the 19th century. Before turning to religion, the young man was quite a ladies' man and an excellent shot. Once on a walk, Gabriel met a couple of deserter soldiers who intended to rape a local peasant woman. The young man did have a short-barreled gun with him, which he immediately used. True, Possenti did not shoot at the soldiers - he shot off the head of a lizard basking in the sun. The villains were impressed by Gabriel's accuracy and retreated.
Interestingly, in the middle of the 19th century, repeating weapons were very rare. The deserters, I think, knew very well: after a shot, a capsule (or flintlock) single-barreled pistol became completely useless. But judging by the fact that they still escaped, the future saint had two pistols. Minimum.
And finally. Even if you are not a military man, a firefighter, a police officer, or a gun owner, don’t be upset. If you are reading this material, the patron of the Internet, the miracle worker and the world's first encyclopedist Isidore of Seville is looking after you.
Patron of all warriors Archangel Michael
The Holy Scriptures say that there is a spiritual world that is inhabited by good and intelligent beings - they are called angels. Translated from Greek, the word “angel” means “messenger”. It is through angels that God can communicate his will to people. The prefix “archi” means a higher position in the angelic hierarchy.
The name Michael literally means “Who is like God, or like God.” Satan was once also an Angel of Light, but he wanted to go against the Creator, and then Archangel Michael led the Heavenly army into a great battle:
“...and there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they could not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan” (Rev. 12:7-9).
Archangel Michael helped our Fatherland with his intercession in 1239, then Novgorod the Great was attacked by the troops of Batu Khan. On many military banners and banners, Michael was depicted as the patron saint of the Russian army.
Who is Elijah the Prophet?
This is the very first saint who began to be revered in Rus', thanks to the initiative of Prince Vladimir. He belongs to the Old Testament and became famous for his faithfulness to the Lord, chaste life and miracles. The prophet Elijah is the second to be taken to heaven alive.
Little is known about its origins. The name "Eliyahu" in Hebrew means "Yahweh is my God." Perhaps the prophet took it for himself during the confrontation with the priests of Baal. He openly denounced the queen and king for idolatry, but they did not listen. As punishment, the Lord sent three years without rain to their lands. And so Elijah proposed a way out: he gathered the people of Israel and the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel and proposed to build two altars - to God and to Baal - and to offer sacrifices on them, but not to set it on fire. If Baal burns his victim with fire from heaven, then he is the true God. If the Lord is the true God, He is. Baal “did not accept” the sacrifice. God burned not only the sacrifice, but also the firewood, the stone altar, and even the ditch with water. After this, through the prayer of Elijah, it began to rain, and he ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. It is believed that the prophet will return to earth before the coming of the Messiah and anoint him as king.
Why is Elijah the patron of the Airborne Forces?
It so happened that Ilyin’s day is also the day of the Airborne Forces. Courageous defenders of the homeland, representatives of one of the strongest military brotherhoods. And most people remember their involvement in the Airborne Forces all their lives. Festive events are held everywhere in cities and villages, and meetings of colleagues, believe me, mean something more than swimming in fountains.
The Prophet Elijah is considered the patron of the Airborne Forces, since he himself was militant, honest and always, despite all persecution and circumstances, remained faithful to God and his, as they would say now, principles.
